2020 Chateau Musar Jeune Rouge

17.45 14.42
Type of Wine Red
Country Lebanon
Region Bekaa-vallei
Winery Château Musar
Year 2020
Grape Cabernet Sauvignon Cinsault Syrah-Shiraz
Content (Alc) 0.75 ltr (14.5%)
Drink window 2022 - 2027
View all characteristics Discover more about this wine

Chateau Musar is one of the most special wine estates in the world. On the one hand this is the location, the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, on the other hand they still use a completely traditional working method. The vineyards lie on siliceous limestone soils at an altitude of about 1000 metres. The long, warm summers guarantee excellent ripening of the grapes.

The Musar Jeune red uses the same grapes as in the regular Château Musar. However, this wine has been chosen for more cinsault. In the Rhône region, Cinsault is the grape that produces soft and supple grapes. That also immediately explains the smoother character of this wine. The cabernet sauvignon does provide some firmness and freshness to keep the wine well balanced. In addition, winemaking is of course different. The wine matures without the use of wood, so only in stainless steel tanks, which ensure that the fruit is optimally preserved. That means that this wonderfully smooth red wine is immediately ready to enjoy. In the glass, the wine has a medium cherry red color. In the nose we smell beautiful red fruit with beautiful notes of blueberries, cherries, a hint of mint, violets and some smoky notes in the distance. In the mouth, the Musar Jeune has a smooth pleasant taste with good acidity. Here too, the red fruit such as the cherries come forward without firm tannins. A very pleasant fine wine from a unique part of the wine world

Vineyard for 2020 Chateau Musar Jeune Rouge

Viticulture is not new in Lebanon, in the Beeka Valley. A bronze press wine press was found there (the Phoenicians were active here). The famous Bacchus temple in Baalbek testifies that the Romans already made wine there. The Beeka Valley is ideal for grape cultivation. The valley is about eight kilometers wide and lies between two mountain ranges at about a thousand meters height. The climate is extremely warm. Fortunately, the height ensures a strong night-time cooling. As a result, the fruity aromas are preserved in the grapes. Thanks to snow from the mountains, sufficient water flows in the Valley. The substrate consists of a mixture of loam, boulders and gray limestone. The microclimate is so ideal that the vines usually remain in perfect health. The ongoing war violence in this region is a negative factor. But despite that, people have always continued to make wine. Only in the years 1976 and 1984 no wine was made because of the war. The grapes had to be transported across the line of fire about 100 km to the winery just north of Beirut. After more than a thousand years of alcoholic draining as a result of Islam, the Jesuits started growing wine again in 1857. Gaston Hochar founded the wine company Chateau Musar in 1930. Lebanon was then still under French mandate. He bought his grapes from the Beeka Valley and made a winery and cellar on the western side of the mountain in Lebanon in Ghazir, just north of Beirut. French professors advised him on setting up his wine company.

He sent his son Serge on an internship to Bordeaux (Château Langoa-Barton). It is this Serge Hochar who has made the wines of Château Musar known worldwide. Serge Hochar consciously opts for a blend, in which the firm, sturdy and firm structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon is accompanied by the fruit “of the Rhône” (Carignan and Cinsault). Such a blend hardly occurs elsewhere. He himself says that his wines are made in a very natural way, with natural yeasts, without clarification and without filtering. "They are wines without make-up." The red castle wines are aged for an average of 12 months in French barrels, which are not toasted. This is followed by years of cellar rest. At the end of the second year after harvest, the blend is determined with the sole decision factor being the taste. Each vintage is different and has its own characteristics. The red Château Musar is an extraordinary traditional wine, if not old-fashioned in style. Its color is never really dark and usually brownish, with spices and a mild spiciness in both the aroma and taste. The wine can age very well. Serge Hochar finds them at their best after fifteen years. They are wines with their own style.

More Information
Type of Wine Red
Country Lebanon
Region Bekaa-vallei
Winery Château Musar
Grape Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Syrah-Shiraz
Biological certified No
Natural wine No
Vegan No
Year 2020
Drinking as of 2022
Drinking till 2027
Alcohol % 14.5
Alcohol free/low No
Content 0.75 ltr
Oak aging Yes
Sparkling No
Dessert wine No
Closure Cork
Tasting Profiles Earthy, Dark fruit, Dry, Fruity, Aged on wood, Flexible, Full
Drink moments Barbecue, Met vrienden, Open haard
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